This morning's post has produced more interest in the topic of sour ales than I expected. And now I'm wondering--maybe there's more interest in sour ales than I realized. (And maybe all my friends are a bunch of unreconstructed hop-heads.) So, since everybody loves a poll,* here goes:
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*Except for those of you who really, really hate them.
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They are the greatest. I write a blog about lambics and wild ales after all:
ReplyDeletehttp://lambicandwildale.com/
I do not even rule out a scenario in which the US plays an important role in saving the style from extinction at some point.
Aschwin - I agree that the US might save some (if not many) styles. It really seems like Belgian beers in particular are gaining traction here. Can people really be overly hopped?
ReplyDeleteIn Portland the funkier the better tends to meen it tastes like acetone. I love me a good sour ale.
ReplyDeleteI love them. But can't say the funkier the better. I don't like straw, hay, wet blanket, mold, used carpet-like flavors.
ReplyDeleteI am one for Consecration, Cascade Mouton Rouge, Apricot, The Vine etc....
Love the sour, love the hidden gems of flavors... but I don't want to drink raw vinegar and cow hide.
I employed an old researcher's trick in this poll--I offered two answers that are effectively "yes" and two that are "no." People generally hate a binary choice, but you get a sense of where people are if you force them to say yay or nay.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the funkier the better camp. I've never met a beer too funky or two sour--at least those that were intended to taste that way. A few of my infected homebrews from years past--that's another matter.
Hmmmm... first check out the Doc's predictions:
ReplyDeletehttp://wortblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/vision-is-becoming-clearerlet-me-gaze.html
I'm all for "Wild" beers are made within the realm of the Belgian Classics and variations there of. Lambics and the Burgundies of Belgium. Some of the "new" generation Brett Porters and others are interesting too, but I draw the line at funky beers that are just funky in weird undrinkable ways. Beers that taste like a spoiled dump bucket "Streaking the Quad" comes to mind. Just nasty Acetone, horrible Lacto and other funk that shouldn't be put into your mouth. Just my opinion. Of course, If people want to ingest Finger Nail Polish, Bread Mold and Rancid lacto beers.... I'm not going to stop ya. ;-}
I'd have to say, I'm all for Sour Quality, but not Funky science experiments.
I love me the Sours! (in moderation though ;)
ReplyDeleteThe Sang Royal (if you got a chance to get some,) was the best of them all from Cascade, In my opinion. Tough to find anymore though.
The Van-Twee, Ommegang rouge and Cascade's Sang Rouge among others, are great.
Sours were one of my top 2 or 3 styles of last year. It's the style I sought after most at the last GABF. Love em when done right. I've had some sours that ended up just too much but in most cases I love them all. Heading to the 1st annual Boulder SourFest at the end of this month at Avery Brewing. Should have some of the best sours in one place.
ReplyDeleteAbout this time last year I was at a beer tasting sponsored by a local microbeer distributor and a beer geek fan club. We tried six beers the last of which was a sour ale. The group of....60? of us...resoundingly favored the sour ale over the others.
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